The government has started notifying the nearly four million workers affected by a massive data breach.
Both current and former employees may have had personal information compromised in what could become the biggest breach in U.S. history. Those affected began receiving emails from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Monday, which will continue to contact workers through June 19.
OPM says the email will come from the address "opmcio@csid.com." Employees without email addresses on file will receive a letter through the U.S. Postal Service.
Those affected by the breach will be offered free 18-month memberships from CSID for credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Additional information is available on CSID's website and toll-free at 844-222-2743. International callers may call collect at 512-327-0700.
OPM, which conducts more than 90 percent of federal background investigations, has provided more tips for affected employees online here.
Federal employees were told Friday to change all their passwords, put fraud alerts on their credit reports and watch for attempts by foreign intelligence services to exploit them. That message came from Dan Payne, a senior counterintelligence official for the Director of National Intelligence.
The hackers were believed to be based in China, said Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, but Chinese officials slammed what they called "groundless accusations" Friday.
